Pear & Bleu Crostini with Salted Maple Caramel Drizzle

Alright friends, I'm feelin' classy right now. Get this girl a glass of champagne or something in a martini glass already! 

But seriously, I just bought two really awesome cocktail-party dresses, so I'd love an invite to your fancy autumn cocktail party. Okay, thanks. 

And also, if you invite me, I might bring these fall crostinis with pears, bleu cheese, sage, walnuts, and salted maple caramel. It's all kinds of sweet and salty and nutty in one bite. You get that invitation in the mail, and I'll get these guys on a platter. Let's do this. 

Pear & Bleu Crostini 

Makes about 20 crostinis 

1 large pear, diced small

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped or broken 

1-2 tablespoons of crumbled bleu cheese

4-5 large sage leaves, thinly sliced

Spritz of fresh lemon juice

Fresh cracked black pepper

1 baguette, sliced in thin rounds, lightly toasted

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Heavy pinch of good flaky sea salt

Toss together pears through black pepper, and top baguette rounds with mixture. Stick under broiler until cheese is melted, for just a minute or so (keep your eye on it). 

Add butter, brown sugar, syrup, and sea salt to a small, heavy bottomed pot, and heat over medium-high, stirring the whole time, until everything is melted and bubbly and mixed together. Taste and add more salt if desired. 

Drizzle caramel on top of crostini. 

Crazy Crostini

Bread. Chocolate. Truffle salt. Almond oil. You may call me crazy for recommending this combination, but that’s fine. I’ll take it. I might be a little crazy. I mean, I own five cake pedestals and hardly ever bake cakes, I talk to my cat on the phone when I go out of town, and—after very little training the last few months—I’m about to run a half marathon, right after spending a weekend in Vegas, where I boozed harder than Amy Winehouse at an Amy Winehouse concert. Now that shit’s crazy.

The ol’ truffle-chocolate crostini pales in comparison. And really, I didn’t even invent it myself. I tasted something similar at Ocho awhile back, and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Luckily, I always have baguettes and chocolate on hand—one of my favorite snacks is dark chocolate smashed into a piece of warm French bread. And, Evan got me some amazing truffle salt and almond oil for my birthday. Aside from the fact that I was eating this totally rich and extravagant snack by myself, there was absolutely no reason for me to not make it.

There’s no reason for you to not make it, either. If you don’t have almond oil, you could easily use good olive oil, and add almonds. You could also do truffle oil and plain sea salt, if that floats your boat. Now...I know you may be hesitant to fork out the cash required for truffle products, but it’s worth it. Every kitchen should have truffle oil or truffle salt. It’s just a fact. Your macaroni and cheese and popcorn will thank you. So will your chocolate crostinis.

The method for these little treats varies. Since I was making them for myself, I simply warmed some baguette slices in the microwave (how elegant of me!) with chunks of dark chocolate, and drizzled with almond oil and a sprinkle of truffle salt. If you’re making them for guests, however—especially this time of year—you could brush the bread with your oil of choice, and cook on the grill—melting the chocolate with the heat of the fire.

Your friends might call you crazy… but probably in that mad-genius type of way.